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| Substrate Free Tank Husbandry (Bare bottomed) This forum is for the discussion of the care and husbandry of substrate free tanks. |
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02-21-2006, 04:35 PM
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#1
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Coral Killer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 307
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Everything is dead.
Fish, corals all dead. The only thing thats still ok are my clams. I don't feel much like going into detail but my auto top off with kalk went nuts while I was away, and wiped the tank out. I don't have a ca reactor so I dose a 2 part and top off with kalk. Since I was not home I loaded up the auto top off really good so it did not run out. Came home to find that the switch had stuck and nuked the tank. I was going to turn it off but was worried about having no ca/alk going into the tank for a fews days(mistake). The real kicker is the reactor I ordered was on my door step when I got home. Learn from my mistakes and watch out for Murphy. As for me I may be getting out of the hobby or going fish only at this point....
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02-21-2006, 04:42 PM
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#2
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Coral Killer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 307
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RIP
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02-21-2006, 05:06 PM
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#3
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Southern Ohio
Posts: 844
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Very sorry to hear that. Dont give up though!!
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02-21-2006, 05:06 PM
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#4
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big tang
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 256
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Sorry to hear man, that always sucks.
Hopefully the suvivors will stay around!
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got flow?
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02-21-2006, 05:17 PM
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#5
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: vegas
Posts: 393
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Ouch!!!
Does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening? Any failsafes that you can build into an auto topoff?
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Reefer since 01/05
20 G Nano
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02-21-2006, 05:19 PM
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#6
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Got Crabs?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Woodbury, MN
Posts: 5,526
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In the future look into a liter meter for redundancy. This is what I am using. The nice thing about it is there is no mechanical parts to stick in the on or off position. It works with a vacuum switch and although the initial expense was more than other ways. It was cheaper in the long run, instead of having a POS switch stick in the on position and nuke the tank. To me it was worth it, spend the extra $100 or risk the fact that the $1000's in livestock could be wiped out. I am sorry for your loss, that just sucks.
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02-21-2006, 05:27 PM
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#7
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Just some guy, you know?
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 18,936
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Wow, that really sucks, I am sorry to hear it. How much kalk water are we talking here? Was this a mechanical float-valve switch ( gravity feed) or a electric one?
Sorry for your loss,
Whiskey
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Vagabond
Computers are the worlds most plentiful source of unique, and unimaginable problems.
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02-21-2006, 05:28 PM
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#8
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Coral Killer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 307
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by menelaus22
Ouch!!!
Does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening? Any failsafes that you can build into an auto topoff?
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A. I would never dose kalk in make up water again
B. I would use a non float switch dependant top off like the liter meter
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02-21-2006, 05:28 PM
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#9
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Shark
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: waukesha, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,296
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That sucks!
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02-21-2006, 05:29 PM
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#10
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Coral Killer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 307
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Wiskey
Wow, that really sucks, I am sorry to hear it. How much kalk water are we talking here? Was this a mechanical float-valve switch (gravity feed) or a electric one?
Sorry for your loss,
Whiskey
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About 1 pound
mechanical from floatswitches.com
yes I knew better.......
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02-21-2006, 05:32 PM
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#11
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Just some guy, you know?
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 18,936
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That is how my topoff is setup, does your RO/DI go right through your kalk reactor and into the float? Or do you have a RO/DI holding tank where you manually mix the kalk with the water?
__________________
Vagabond
Computers are the worlds most plentiful source of unique, and unimaginable problems.
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02-21-2006, 05:53 PM
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#12
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Coral Killer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 307
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holding tank, then into the sump via a float. If your system is set up like mine un plug it asap
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02-21-2006, 05:58 PM
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#13
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Got Crabs?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Woodbury, MN
Posts: 5,526
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IMO this has been about as foolproof as possible. I mix my kalk in my top off and the topoff resivoir is about 16 gallons.(could be larger). No real need to run a kalk reactor. I just mix the kalk and the top off water about once a week and then the litermeter doses it every day at a consitent rate. If for some reason the pump goes wacky the vaccum switch will sense a high water level in the sump and shut the litermeter down. To me it is the most effective way of dosing kalk and topoff water at the same time.
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<a href="http://www.suburbanchrysler.com/home.html">Minneapolis Chrysler</a>
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02-21-2006, 06:02 PM
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#14
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Just some guy, you know?
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 18,936
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My setup is exactally yours, except I use a kalk reactor now insted. How big was your holding tank? I always thought even if there is a failure 10 gallons of kalk water won't take my tank down, I am starting to re-think this.
Whiskey
__________________
Vagabond
Computers are the worlds most plentiful source of unique, and unimaginable problems.
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02-21-2006, 06:05 PM
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#15
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Coral Killer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 307
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Wiskey
My setup is exactally yours, except I use a kalk reactor now insted. How big was your holding tank? I always thought even if there is a failure 10 gallons of kalk water won't take my tank down, I am starting to re-think this.
Whiskey
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It depends how much kalk is in the water. 1tsp per gallon doubtful, but if you've got a pound or so off freshly mixed kalk the PH spike will kill your tank. Mine was 9.4 when I got home. Do your self a favor, either dose straight water or get a liter meter.
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